February 22, 2012

Yesterday the Free From Food Awards Shortlist came out. What does that mean? That means that there is a wonderful list of almost 170 quality Food Allergy Friendly foods and products just waiting to be tried, be it Gluten Free, Nut Free, Dairy Free, Sugar Free, Soya Free, Egg Free, etc, etc. I find that one of the biggest problems with the food allergy market is that some of the products can be a bit pricey which makes taste testing a gamble because nobody wants to fork out big bucks for something that might not taste worthy...but now, with the Free From Food Awards, our woes are behind us because the Shortlist is almost like a key to the food allergy friendly world! As one of the judges I can assure you that the tasting is rigorous and that although there can be split camps from time to time, all the products which get shortlisted are definitely worth a try...and of course the winners (which will be announced in April) are like gold dust - the stuff food allergy free dreams are made of, and therefore DEFINITELY worth a try!

The thing about judging is that there are at least 9 other judges all with different taste buds and different agendas, be it health, versatility, etc, so even if I absolutely loved something, that didn’t mean that it was going to win because the whole group had to agree... Therefore the below product comments are my opinion only and not a clue to any of the winning products - for that you will just have to wait until April 17th!!

The most exciting of these categories, for me, was Category 3. There was an amazingCoconut-based Yoghurt from CoYo which blew my socks off! So, I definitely recommend trying that one!! (queue praying to the heavens that CoYo gets wide release in Ireland!) The wonderful thing is that it’s completely Soya Free but doesn’t taste like coconut (happy days!) making it a plain, reliable and versatile yoghurt with the perfect hint of tangy yoghurt sour making it ideal for cooking into savoury recipes or for flavouring to your own sweet desires. For me, this was the best thing in the yoghurt market since the pea protein yoghurt I tried once, but without the sugar!!

The category also made me re-think my stance on plant milks, previously I was not an oat milk lover but after having to taste them all side by side I actually had to praise Oat Milk for it’s top class taste... and of course I still think that Kara Coconut milk is an amazing substitute, despite my life-long love of sweet, light, refreshing Rice Dream rice milk! ;)

And then there were the cheeses.... Vegusto Melty Cheese was the first Dairy Free cheese that I have come by which actually melted nicely! It still didn’t loose it’s shape like traditional cheese but it didn’t shrivel into a dry lump, there was no overbearing taste of vinegar and the consistency was really nice and managed to keep it’s ‘softness’! It’s only downfall was that it tasted like average soya-based Dairy Free cheese when it wasn’t melted)... And then there was the nut based Soya Free Vegusto cheese made from Cashews and Rice Milk - YUUUUUUUM!!! I LOVED it, if you hadn’t already guessed... Unfortunately, it didn’t melt well at all, but who cares! It tasted REALLY nice. In fact I would even recommend dairy cheese eaters to eat it! It would be right at home sitting on a cheese board among the stilton, chevre and aged cheddar. Yum Yum Yum Yum... Savoury and hearty with an ‘I can’t stop eating it’ lure. Note: Vegusto’s packaging was a bit of a let down but don’t let that ward you off because by all signs they seem to be an awesome company with a tasty Dairy-Free cheese sauce too!

Category 6 was a joint category with Gluten Free pastas and pizza bases. The pastas disappointed me a bit because they were almost all corn based, which is not my cup of tea. I can’t understand why manufacturers keep making the same thing!? In my opinion, a mix of flours, is WAY better and corn based pastas tend towards being a bit rubbery and ever so slightly tangy in taste, not to mention the amount of people who actually have a corn allergy/intolerance!... but then again, I guess that that’s just my opinion. However, there was a cool little product from Farabella which were Gluten Free Pasta Grains intended for use in soups such as minestrone, but also a really neat product to use in place of bulgar. Cook it up, cool it down and make into a salad for a satisfying, healthy lunch! If I see it on the shelf I will definitely pick up a pack...despite it’s corn base ;)

On the topic of pizza bases I was more impressed. I like a thick base (my Canadian roots I suspect) and I quite liked the ciabatta-like thick oily pizza base made by Amisa, reminiscent of take-away pizza (which sadly didn’t make it to the shortlist). It was a bit crumbly but reminded me of the thick ciabatta squares of cheese-less pizza slices available from the bakery in Marks & Spencers. I have always felt that a lot of sauce and a thick base is essential for a cheese-free pizza...but I was alone on that one...
There were some other good products too, but what struck me most is how much the bases changed when tomato sauce was added! One of my favourites was the pizza base dough mix from Bob’s Red Mill which made a fresh Gluten Free Wholegrain pizza base of top quality...but then again, this probably isn’t surprising as Bob’s Red Mill products are the bees knees!

The last category, 15, chocolates, snack bars and petite fours was a sugar and caffeine attack! But The Booja Booja’s Rum Sozzled Sultana Chocolate Truffles and Tickety Boo Cakes’ Roo’s Crunch were sooooo delicious that I think I’m in love!...sorry F.

Previously I wasn’t familiar with Tickety Boo’s Roo’s Crunch (tongue twister alert!) brand but hopefully it’s shortlisted status will encourage Irish stockists to branch out! In fact, a lot of the chocolates were good but I’m not sure how many dark chocolate bars are necessary in the world. As a dairy free lifer I would like to see more milk chocolate alternatives, like the white chocolate alternatives, or flavoured bars substituting for ‘Double Deckers’ and ‘Twix’ etc... mmmm, I’m salivating at the thought!... Maybe next year!

Anyway, the list is extensive which goes to show how far the FreeFrom market is coming along! It’s so exciting to see really good quality foods available in mainstream shops for we Food Allergy Free shoppers. It can only serve to help people stay away from their poisons and show the world that alternatives sell so please keep making them!!...maybe one day the food allergy world will take over!? whahahha...

After reading the shortlist for the rest of the categories I was surprised by some products, such as Dee’s Omega 3 Vegetarian burgers which I haven’t had success with...perhaps F. is right, and I’m just not cooking them properly.... and boy, do I wish that I had a chance to try out Foodswild Gluten Free Cornish Stinger Nettle Beer!!..Bizarre - and curious! And what about the Mango & Passionfruit Non-Dairy Cheesecake bu Mamma Cucina - hello! that its definitely something that I want to be part of my life! ...and happily the other day I passed by a van marked ‘The Cake Crusader’ in Rathmines only to notice on the Shortlist that the very same Cake Crusader makes a Gluten Free, Wheat Free and Dairy Free Carrot Cake - I will have to put on my scouting suit to uncover this Cake Crusaders stockists in our wee little Dublin!

You can view the full Short-list below and try to remember it or you can keep an eye out for the Free From Shortlist or Free From Winner logos on the various products... And if you want to go to the source of the Shortlist see here which lists all the products with links to the shortlisted companies! www.freefromfoodawards.co.uk/shortlist_12.html